USA > Missouri > Buchanan County > The history of Buchanan County, Missouri > Part 22
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About forty of the most violent female patients were forthwith removed to the St. Joseph Medical College and kindly cared for under the supervision of Miss Dixon, an officer of the institution, and six attendants. The remaining female patients were sent to the Court House in charge of Mrs. Calhoun, the worthy matron of the institution. The male patients were all taken to the Court House, where they remained till their removal, some time after, to a temporary building on the asylum ground.
On the following morning after the fire, Sunday, January 26, 1879, a special extraordiary meeting of the Board of Trade was called for the purpose of relieving the distress occasioned by the destruction of the asylum. The object of the meeting was stated by Mr. Judson, who added that more than two hundred insane helpless creatures had been thrown upon the community by the late calamity, and that it became the duty of the Board to assist in procuring for them suitable accom- modations, and to relieve their immediate necessities, as well as to secure a prompt and speedy rebuilding of the edifice by the State for the now homeless insane.
218
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
On motion, it was resolved that a committee of three, consisting of George Buell, W. F. Studebaker, and W. A. P. McDonald be appointed to co-operate with the committee from the asylum Board in securing immediate quarters for the large number of insane patients now quar- tered in the Court House ; this committee to report to the asylum man- agers at 3 P. M. It was further resolved that a committee of three be appointed to invite and accompany Hon. John Saunders, Hon. T. J. Crowther, members of the Legislature from the city of St. Joseph, and all the architects, builders and contractors in the city on a visit to the ruins of the asylum, there to investigate the measure of loss and damage and to examine the standing walls, foundations and damaged materials, and to estimate the amount necessary to rebuild or repair the structure. F. M. Posegate, A. L. Kerr and Geo. Hauck were appointed on this committee.
On the afternoon of the same day a meeting of the Asylum Board of Directors was held in the Court House. Allen H. Vories, President, occupied the chair, with a full Board present : Col. J. H. R. Cundiff, ex-Gov. Silas Woodson, Dr. E. A. Donelan, Dr. J. Malin, J. C. Roberts, and R. L. McDonald.
Gov. Woodson then read the following report :
ST. JOSEPH, January 26, 1879.
GENTLEMEN: The undersigned respectfully report that they have, under the resolution of the Board adopted yesterday, as fully as possi- ble in the limited time allowed, investigated the cause of the disastrous fire that, on yesterday, destroyed the asylum building.
It is manifest from the evidence taken by us, and which is herewith submitted to you, that the fire, without fault on the part of any one, so far as we are able to discover, was caused by heat communicated from the boilers used in the engine house to the frame work enclosing the coils of pipe used in heating the laundry and drying rooms of the asylum.
From the evidence taken by us, it is shown that the box enclosing said coils of pipe was fourteen feet square, and three and a half or four feet deep, and was constructed of wood, rendered by use and constant heat, inflamable. That the inside of this box took fire, as before stated, and as it was closed up entirely, the flame was not visible until the box was broken open.
After the flames had gone so far and the air in it had become so heated as to force the smoke through the crevices in it, and that when it was broken open, the fire had attained so strong a hold that it could not be stopped with the inadequate facilities at command for the purpose.
SILAS WOODSON, E. A. DONELAN, J. C. ROBERTS.
The report was received and adopted.
219
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
The second report was as follows :
The committee requested to examine into the condition of the walls of State Lunatic Asylum No. 2, located east of St. Joseph, by the Board of Managers of said asylum, and a committee appointed by the Board of Trade of St. Joseph, have the honor to report that we, the under- signed, have made an examination of the walls of said building, and do approximate the cost of rebuilding said building in a good and firm con- dition, to wit, as follows :
That said walls can be used to the extent of three-fourths of the entire building, and that the sum of seventy-five thousand dollars will cover the expense of rebuilding.
B. PATTON, BOETTNER & ECKEL, Architects, W. ANGELO POWELL, Architect, L. S. STIGERS, Architect, R. K. ALLEN, THOS. WINN, J. S. ELLIOTT, G. W. MORRIS, JAMES PATTON.
At the period of the burning of the asylum, the State Legislature was in session. On Tuesday, January 29th, a Legislative committee from Jefferson City arrived in St. Joseph, and under escort of commit- tees from the Asylum Board and the Board of Trade, headed by Mayor Piner, visited the ruins of the asylum building, and made an inspection of the same. The Legislative committee then visited the Court House where a large number of the lunatics were confined. On the following day, they returned to their duties at the State Capital.
The matter of location in rebuilding the asylum soon became a vexed question in the halls of the Legislature, numerous localities advancing claims and offering inducements to the building of the same in their respective midsts.
Committees were appointed to visit these different claimants for the honor of holding State Lunatic Asylum No. 2, and much valuable time was thus wasted and expense incurred, when it was finally decided to rebuild the asylum on its original foundations near St. Joseph, as a matter of justice and economy.
Accordingly, in May, 1879, the Legislature appropriated the sum of seventy-five thousand dollars to defray the expense of the same. In addition to this, the sum of $2,000 had been previously approprated for temporary relief.
The lunatics only remained three months in the Court House, whither they had been temporarily removed after the fire. They were afterwards placed in a temporary building erected on the asylum grounds, 100 feet from the main structure. The $2,000 appropriation above referred to, defrayed the expense of this building, which is now (1881) used for the purposes of laundry and carpenter shop.
14
220
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
The architect of the rebuilt structure was S. V. Shipman, of Chicago ; Leman & Olsen, also of Chicago, were the contractors ; L. S. Stigers, of St. Joseph, superintended the work, which commenced August 12, 1879, and was completed March 25, 1880. About April Ist, 1880, the lunatics were removed to the new building.
The expense of rebuilding was less than the amount appropriated, the work being ably and economically conducted.
The new structure is not only more spacious, but, in every respect, a vast improvement on the original building. Wings 40x60 feet were added to the north and south ends of the main edifice. These, each accommodate a broad and easy stairway, while a double stair case in the centre of the main building leads to the fourth story, with landings on each floor.
In addition to these, there is a fifth stairway in the rear of the build- ing. In rebuilding, the Mansard (fourth) story was restored on the main or central structure, but left off from the wings. The entire roof is covered with the best quality of Vermont slate, and no stone or other material not entirely uninjured was allowed to be used in the reconstruc- tion of the building. Taught by a severe experience, every precaution that science could prompt or caution adopt has been applied to render the building absolutely safe from fire.
About $2,400 was realized from the sale of damaged or scrap iron found in the ruins after the fire.
The enlarged scale of the rebuilt structure affords accommodations for twenty-five additional patients. On the re-opening of the asylum in April, 1880, one hundred and fifteen lunatics were moved in. The present (1881) number is two hundred and eight, one half of whom are females.
As may be supposed, there have been, from the period of its organ- ization, various changes in the Board of Management. The present, (1881) Board include A. H. Vories, Silas Woodson, Arthur Kirkpatrick, John Doniphan, Dr. E. A. Donelan, Dr. J. Malin and R. L. McDonald. A. H. Vories is President, Dr. J. Malin Secretary, and A. M. Saxton Treasurer.
The present officers of the asylum are, Dr. G. C. Catlett, Superin- tendent ; Dr. A. P. Busey, Assistant Physician ; L. H. Vories, Steward ; Miss Dixon, Matron.
The Commissioners who had charge of the rebuilding of the asylum were A. Kirkpatrick, A. C. Dawes and G. C. Catlett.
CHAPTER XIV.
FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL.
During the early history of the county, the resources were necessa- rily meagre from which the revenues were derived. The rate of taxation was correspondingly light.
The first four or five years, the county expenses ranged from $1,500 to $3,000. The books were not kept in a very systematic manner and it is difficult now even, as it was then, to so far understand the system of bookkeeping as to be able to determine accurately the exact condition of the county finances. This much we do know, that with the very lim- ited resources at their command, the persons whose duty it was to man- age county affairs kept the machinery in operation and no large debts were incurred.
A complete account of the finances of the county would, of itself, make a large book, and the facts necessary for such an authentic history are not at hand, even though we might desire to record them. There are to be found at various times throughout the county records certain facts whereby we are able to furnish only a brief idea of the county's financial affairs from the first.
At the July term of the County Court, 1839, Samuel M. Gilmore, Collector, made the following settlement with the court :
DR.
To tax collected on merchants' license for state purposes . $ 10.00
Ad valorem 2.50
To tax on grocers' license for state purposes . 27.50
Ad valorem 2.773
To tax on auction license for state purposes 10.00
To tax on ferry
4.00
$56.773
To tax on merchant's license for county purposes
$ 10.00
To tax on grocers'
25.00
To tax on auction
5.00
To tax on ferry ..
4.00
$44.00
222
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
At the October term of the court, 1839, the following settlement was made :
DR.
To tax on merchant's license for state purposes $ 95.00 Ad valorem 35.07
To tax on grocers' license for state purposes 20.00 Ad valorem . 2.883
To per cent. on auction sales 5.311
$157.47
To tax on merchants' license for county purposes $ 95.00 To tax on grocers' .. 20.00 Ad valorem 50
CR. $115.50
By com. on $157.47, state tax
$ 3.15
By com. on $115.50, county tax 2.31
At the February term of the court, 1840, the following settlement was made :
To amount collected on merchants' license for state purposes. . . $ 70.00 Ad valorem 12.373
To amount collected on grocers' license for state purposes 56.50
Ad valorem 5.341
$144.213
To amount collected on merchants' license for county purposes . . $ 70.00 To amount collected on grocers' license 56.50 Ad valorem 3.44%
$129.943
At the January term, 1841, Mr. Gilmore, the Collector, made the fol- lowing settlement for the years 1839 and 1840:
DR.
To amount collected, and with which he stands charged. $ 924.031
To amount tax-book for 1839 802.86
To amount tax-book for 1840 1,251.473
$2,978.373
CR.
By amount of delinquent tax list for 1839 $ 33.24
By amount of George and Harvey Tracy's license. 7.373
223
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
By amount of C. P. Lown's license
6.182
By amount of Gabriel Madden's license . 7.50
By amount of poll tax not collected for 1839. 12.50
By com. on tax collected on license. 18.06
By com. on revenue of 1839 53.00
By amount of Treasurer's receipts filed 1,282.70%
Balance against Collector $1,557.79%
At the September term, 1840, Thomas Mills was allowed the sum of nine dollars and thirty-six and one-half cents, in full for his services as Treasurer of Buchanan County for that year.
At the May term of the Court, 1842, the following settlement was made, showing the amount of moneys accruing to the county of Buchanan from the sale of the sixteenth sections or school lands ; the amount of three per cent. fund belonging to the county; the interest accrued on the same; the amount of interest in arrear ; from whom due, etc., and the receipts and expenditures of the county for the year ending the 2d day of May, 1842, as ascertained and made out by the County Court :
Whole amount arising from the sale of school lands $6,835. 30
Out of which was paid into the treasury 300.00
Balance outstanding on bonds. $6,535.30
Amount of three per cent. fund belonging to county 810.00
Interest on same still due and unpaid. 91.123
The whole amount received into the treasury from the Col- lector from May 1, 1841, to May 2, 1842, for revenue and tax on licenses of all kinds. 768.00
The demands paid out of the treasury during the same period :
Paid County Court Justices for services $ 148.00
Paid County Clerk for services 77.36
Paid Sheriff for distributing orders, poll book, etc 60.00
Paid Circuit Clerk for services 16.25
Paid Sheriff for services in Circuit Court 57.00
Paid costs in criminal cases. 241 .773
Paid L. B. Torrance for lever press 30.00
Paid John W. Bowen for press and table 21.00
Paid William W. Reynolds for assessing county 57.00
Paid Hiram Roberts for benches and repairs made 4.123
Paid Michael Wallace for set of chairs. 7.50
Paid Richard Hill for house rent 21.00
224
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
Whole amount paid out. 741.01
Leaving a balance in treasury of 26.99
Whole amount received arising from the sale of lots in Sparta. 1.628.423 Amount paid on account of public buildings. 1,627.85
Excess of receipts over expenditures 573
FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE COUNTY IN MODERN TIMES.
Amount of warrants issued in 1880 $72,000.00
The following are the collections for 1880, to the credit of funds hereinafter mentioned :
State revenue fund $37,023.74
State interest fund 29,325.32
County revenue fund. 76,716.51
County revenue sinking fund 1,650 66
Road tax 6,478.71
Hannibal & St. Joseph R. R 872.44
St. Louis & St. Joseph R. R 1,633.89 8.26
Chicago & Northwestern R. R.
St. Louis & St. Joseph R. R., judgment tax
22,415.23
Poor farm tax
3.08.66
Bridge fund. .
211.56
Court house fund
206.32
Washington School tax (1-57-35)
39,007.65
Special schools in county
18,382.00
Special interest fund. 272.47
.44 Bounty tax
Special sinking fund 272.47
County tax for city of St. Joseph 846.95
Interest 6,298.06
$241,931.41
Whole amount of expenditures, 1842 $ 741.01
Whole amount of expenditures, 1880 70,000.00
The following is the assessment of real and personal property in Buchanan County (City of St. Joseph and county), commenced August, 1880, for tax of 1881.
HORSES, ALL AGES,
MULES AND ASSES, ALL AGES.
CATTLE, ALL AGES.
SHEEP, ALL AGES,
HOGS, ALL AGES.
No.
Val.
No
Val.
No.
Val.
No.
Val.
No.
Val.
In City ..
1,036
$ 44,960
180
$ 11,530
955
$ 15.395
3
965
$ 2,380
In County
5,758
187,210
2.583
129 185
16.751
181,695
5,619
$5,605
48,060
84 475
Totals.
·
6,794
$232.170
2,763
$140,715
17,706|
$197,190
5 622
$5,605
49.020
$90.855
Average value of horses, $34.17 ; average value of mules, $50.92 ; average value of cattle, $11.13 ; value of hogs not made by the head.
Real estate-county.
$3,169,330
Personal property
1,474,025
Total-county-real and personal .
$4,643.355
Real estate-city ....
$6,020,550
Personal property-city .
1,334,470
Total-city-real and personal
$7,355,020
Valuation of whole county .
$11,899,695
City pays of the state and county tax . . 63.13 per cent. .36.87 ..
County pays of the state and county tax.
CORPORATE COMPANIES.
BROKERS AND EX. DEALERS.
| MONEY, NOTES, BONDS AND CREDITS.
OTHER PERSONAL PROPERTY.
VALUATION BY ASSESSOR.
$237,660
$3,200
$368.700 407,700
$650,635 470,155
$1,334,470 1,474,025
Totals. . . ...
$237,660
$3,200
$776,400
$1,120,790
$2,808,495
.
HISTORY OF BUCHIANAN COUNTY.
ALL
In City . . . In County. .
.
225
226
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
REAL AND PERSONAL.
Assessment of real property had on the Ist day of Aug., 1880, for tax of 1881.
In City of St. Joseph, valuation of real estate $6,020,550
In county-outside of city-valuation of land. 3,070,650
And the following towns :
Winthrop. $61,590
Agency
9,240
Easton 9,050
DeKalb 7,470
Wallace.
2,885
Jordan
800
Eveline
640
Valuation of Buchanan County -- real estate $9,182,875
No. acres of land 251,489
No. of acres of land in town 250
Average value of land per acre . $12.21
Average value of land, including county and towns
12.58
POLITICAL.
In the early days, the people of Buchanan County did not trouble themselves much about political matters. They seemed to care more about the settlement of the country, and the increase of worldly goods, than office. One reason for this doubtless was that the pay was nothing extraordinary.
The trouble in those days was to get men to take office. Now, however, it is difficult to keep dishonest and incompetent men out of office.
For several years after the organization of the county, persons were elected to office more on account of their qualifications and popularity than for political reasons. In those days the office emphatically sought the man, and not the man the office. We find in several instances when the opposing candidates belonged to the same party, and sometimes when the county was entitled to two Representatives to the Legislature, a division was made and a Democrat and a Whig were elected. The foregoing is true of political parties in the first settlement of all Missouri counties, and Buchanan was no exception to the rule, except when party issues were raised and partisan lines were drawn. St. Joseph and the county were soon regarded by the political leaders of the state as consti- tuting a very important point, which was in the near future to exercise great political influence. They were the most important city and county
227
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
of the Platte Purchase, and, in fact, in Northwestern Missouri. From these reasons an effort was made in very early times by the leaders of the two dominant political parties, the Whig and the Democratic, to gain ascendancy in the county, and with this end in view they used their influence to persuade the more talented and ambitious young poli- ticians to locate here.
The following is a synopsis of the vote of the county in 1846 :
CANDIDATES.
Platte.
Crawford.
Washington
Rush
Marion
Bloomington
Centre.
Wayne.
Jackson
Tremont .
Total
Congress.
Willard P. Hall (Dem.) .
91
92
320
64 17
58 145
160 43
36 4
67 27
70|1103.
James H. Birch (Ind.) .
37
45
181
120
13
53 14
47
54
I
39
62 419
Robert M. Stewart Representative.
48
73.400
69
200
151
39
47
29 1076
James B. Gardenhire
5
88
215
48
32
163
158
IO
39 34
792
Weston J. Everett .
127
34 122 14 178
30
34
54 25
47
28
45 3
73 0
594
Daniel G. Keedy
Circuit Clerk.
William Fowler .
57
58 248
41
43
116
IIO
35
67 47 58
803
County Clerk.
74
60 271
43
22
143
105
4
23 66
25 998
Jas. S. Goulding
7
7
52
69
2
6
I
149
Head.
47
18
35
3
28
18
62
27
4 16
40 17
493
Coroner .
Jonathan Levy. .
18
58
.
362
6
4
28
408
Wiley M. English
46 46
Benjamin CatIett .
17
L. A. Pearcey
Assessor .
L. S. Cundiff.
13
3 I57 87
33 36
14 7
4 28
9 39
I
255
Ellis
63
48
4I
6
.
19 I
14 35
I 12 14
50
198
Samuel Martin .
4
I I54
4
7
16
3
5
1
7
203
J. Shultz .
3
14
8
3 1
3.3
IOI
3 I
IO
22 8t
For the Constitution
62
26
130
42
42 121
76
36
14
42
591
Against the Constitution .
31
88
341
28
7!
441
401
51
30
301 338
.
106
300
32
41
140
146
38
·
6
79 00
292
F. B. Kercheval . Sheriff.
I
4 170
9
.
36
41
III 76
3
72
50 726 424
James F. Hamilton
6
44 170
39
9
159
22
II
9
.
·
214 15 156
115 4 6 44
.
·
.
.
·
.
.
.
·
7 517
S. Asher
E. Dixon
13
2
13 62
21
Hiram Roberts
7
22
27
.
8
.
· 8
.
.
76
Wm. Ridenbaugh
74
2
. 25
25 10
3 54 8
.
12
205
William Reynolds
108
12 243
20
T. J. Ferrell .
13
50 106
6
I
9
2
238.
822
William A. McDonald .
Senate.
Jesse B. Thompson
68
62
.
.
132
I 300
22
50
.
.
17 211
.
14
·
12
2 120
William Fowler
31 505
13 107
228
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
Until 1860, at the breaking out of the late civil war, Buchanan County was reliably Democratic, the majorities being always decisive. During the war, and for some years after, while the Drake constitution was in force, and until the election of B. Gratz Brown as Governor of the state, in 1870, the county was Republican. After the election of Mr. Brown, and when the political franchises were again accorded to the people, the county became, as usual, Democratic, which is its condition politically at this time (1881).
There is scarcely anything to be found in the county's records from which to determine, at this late day, the exact condition of political par- ties, but enough is known that the county, since its organization, has been, with the exception of during the war period, and a few years thereafter, Democratic.
VOTE IN DIFFERENT TOWNSHIPS, 1880.
City of St. Joseph, proper 4,849
Agency Township 182
Bloomington Township 303
Centre Township. 242
Crawford Township 338
Jackson Township
171
Lake Township
49
Marion Township.
390
Platte Township
203
Rush Township
495
Tremont Township 257
Wayne Township 210
Washington Township 695
Total 8,394
CHAPTER XV.
BENCH AND BAR.
ANDREW S. HUGHES-WM. B. ALMOND-THEODORE L. WHEATON-PETER H. BURNETT- HENRY M. VORIES-JAMES B. GARDENHIRE-DAVID R. ATCHISON-WILLARD P. HALL-SOLOMON L. LEONARD-BELA M. HUGHES-SILAS WOODSON-ROBERT M. STEWART-J. M. BASSETT-BENJAMIN F. LOAN-A. W. DONIPHAN-NAMES OF OTHER ATTORNEYS WHO CAME AT A MORE RECENT DATE.
We here submit a few memorials of the bench and bar of Buchanan County and the "Platte Purchase." Every hour diminishes our recol- lections of by-gone days; but a few glimpses remain, and a few short years will obliterate every view and vestige of what, in the passing pageants of life, has been so interesting to us all.
To one of the oldest representative members of the legal fraternity are we indebted for the following sketches of the men who were the pioneer attorneys of Buchanan County.
GENERAL ANDREW S. HUGHES.
"The first lawyer in the Platte country was General Andrew S. Hughes. General Hughes was said to have been a resident lawyer of Buchanan County, from the fact that he was an Indian agent in the county up to the annexation of the Platte Purchase to the State.
He owned a large farm and servants in Clay County, on which his wife and only son, General Bela M. Hughes, now of Denver, Colorado, resided, and on which he spent a portion of his time when not engaged at Agency.
I first knew General Hughes in Kentucky. He resided in Nicholas County; was a lawyer of some eminence and a brilliant advocate. Early as 1824, he represented the Senatorial district composed of the counties of Nicholas and Breckenridge in the Legislature of Kentucky. I resided at Augusta, Breckenridge County, and first met him when he was can- vassing for the Senate. He was appointed an Indian agent under the administration of John Q. Adams, in 1826.
He was one of the most remarkable men, in many respects, of this or any other age. Kind of heart, cheerful, mirthful to hilarity, genial in manners, indeed geniality itself. He possessed an inexhaustible fund of brilliant anecdotes, and a wit as keen and merciless as Swift's and a sar-
230
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
casm as blighting as Randolph's. One of the few men of real genius I ever met. The emanations of real genius come from the Creator. Elab- oration is man's work and merely art. General Hughes was a man of real genius. I think he died in 1843, at Plattsburg, attending court. He got wet while crossing the Platte River and caught cold, and died from the effects of it, at the age of about 60 years.
WILLIAM B. ALMOND.
I think the next lawyer that settled in the Platte Purchase was Wil- liam B. Almond, who first settled in Platte City, and then removed to Sparta, Buchanan County, in 1839. Mr. Almond was a Virginian by birth, from Prince Edward County, and a graduate of Hampton Sidney College. He and Sterling Price were natives of the same county, and graduated at the same institution at about the same time. He was edu- cated with some care for a Presbyterian minister, but being of an adven- turous disposition, he went with the old fur company of Smith, Sublett & Jackson, to their depot in the Rocky Mountains, on the head waters of the Yellowstone. With the wages he received, (which were high, as the trip was dangerous), he returned to Virginia and studied law. He then returned to Missouri, and as soon as the Platte country was annexed to the state, he settled in Platte County. IIe had a very good practice in Buchanan County for a few years, and in 1844 he formed a partnership with Henry M. Vories, late Judge of the Supreme Court, which continued until 1849, when Almond went to California, still following his disposi- tion for travel and adventure. On his arrival there, through the influ- ence of Governor Burnett, of California, he was appointed Judge. He remained in California for several years. Having accumulated about $20,000 while there, he returned and permanently located in Platte City. He was elected Judge of that circuit, comprising the Platte country, in 1854. He only held the office a short time, resigning to return to Cali- fornia, to attend to some pecuniary matters.
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